“That is unfortunate.”
She nodded. “Yes, quite. My husband has told me of his debt to you, Lord Scarborough. It is such a shameful matter.”
She looked away and sniffed, dabbing her non-existent tears. She handed the handkerchief to him, but he shook his head.
“You may keep it.”
“How kind you are,” she said. “How foolish Madelene was to run away with the stable hand! You would have been a most wonderful husband, My Lord.”
Prescott had not told him about this interesting part of the story. Hugh said nothing, leaving Cornelia to continue.
“We treated her as our own. We fed her, clothed her, gave her a proper education in good etiquette – she was rather wild when she first came to us.”
“Wild?” he asked.
“Yes, My Lord. Her father – my Harry’s brother – gave her far too much freedom. She lived her life on a ship, doing as she pleased. Hardly a proper upbringing for a young lady.”
Hugh had to admit that he was intrigued by this young woman. Madelene, the woman had called her.
“Why would your husband seek to have her married to me if she is so wild? She could have hardly fit the role of a Countess. I must admit that this is quite irregular.”
Cornelia became flustered for a moment but soon recovered.
“Oh, My Lord, that is certainly not the case. We had believed Madelene to be a fine young lady, ready to enter into a good marriage. She seemed changed, My Lord. We had no way of knowing that she had been carrying on with our stable hand. She broke my heart, as I had personally taken her under my wing and tutored her to become a perfect young woman – just like my Netty and Letty.”
She dabbed her eyes again. Hugh had heard enough; he just wanted to leave and speak with his travellers.
“That is most unfortunate, Cornelia. I do not wish to bring further distress upon you and your family. Therefore, I ask that you inform your husband that I will send a letter detailing how I wish his debt to be paid.”
Cornelia smiled, somewhat tearfully. “Thank you, My Lord. Might I interest you in some tea?”
Definitely not. I have no interest in being around these people any longer than I need to.
“I’m afraid that I must decline, but I thank you for your hospitality.”
Hugh took his leave of the woman, glad to have his back to her. He did not see himself returning to Grosvenor House in the near future, or ever for that matter.
Chapter 5
Madelene emerged from the water, noticeably cleaner and most undoubtedly fresh-smelling.
“I do not believe that I have enjoyed any bath quite as much as I have done now. Mind you, this can hardly be considered a bath, but it’s done the job rather nicely.”
Maria was already drying off in the sun, having entered the stream ahead of her.
“I am thankful that this summer’s day has provided us with ample sunlight and heat. Otherwise, we would likely catch a cold from our wet clothing.”
Madelene waded out of the stream, silently cursing the heaviness of her clothing.
“The one thing about oversized men’s garments is that they hold a significant amount of water. I never thought that I would say this, but I would have preferred a chemise to bathe in. We will have to bound my breasts once I am dry, Maria.”
“Ma cherie, you do realise that a chemise is hardly the sort of thing to bathe in?” said Maria. “You might as well be naked. Hardly appropriate for a young lady, or an old one for that matter. And I wish that you had not removed the binding – what if someone was to happen across this stream?”
Madelene laughed. “Propriety aside, Maria, you must admit that it would have been far easier to bathe had you not been wearing that dress. Furthermore, how should I have bathed myself with all that binding?”
Maria pursed her lips. “Very well. Perhaps we should stop concerning ourselves with our garments and focus on what we should do about the Earl. He means to return to the lodging house, and I have no doubt that he will ask questions again.”
Likely more of an interrogation. Madelene did not understand why the Earl was interested in them. But if she would address her hidden thoughts, she would admit that she had developed an interest in the man as well. There was an air about him that intrigued her, and she wished to know more about him. She rung out her clothing on her person, before settling on a rock beside her abigail. The sun truly was a welcome heat as she offered her face up to its warm rays.
“We need to create a story that will satisfy his curiosity. He has already picked up that we are not true natives of this country, which I find most surprising as it has escaped the attention of most people. I do not believe that we are dealing with an ordinary man.”
Madelene could feel Maria’s eyes on her, making her glance to her right. Her abigail’s eyes were narrowed, carefully watching her.
“Maria? Why do you stare so?”
Maria shook her head. “Child, I sincerely hope that you do not go in the way of so many women before you and jeopardise our end goal due to a silly infatuation.”
Madelene stared at Maria for a few seconds, before laughing.
“An infatuation, Maria? Surely you mean that in jest! Besides, I hardly know the man.”
Maria raised her eyebrows and began to speak, only to grow still when a rustling was heard from the woods around them. She gripped Madelene’s hands, her knuckles turning white.
“Could it be the bandits come back for revenge?”
Madelene gently released her hands from Maria and held her finger to her mouth, before moving stealthily to collect her weapons. She had hidden them behind the very rock that they sat upon. She scanned the forest, waiting for the tell-tale sign of a human form.
“Get behind me, Maria,” she whispered.
Madelene’s heart was in her throat as she covered Maria from any potential harm. Although she carried two pistols and a few knives with her, they would be no match against five angry bandits. They might own extra weapons that they knew nothing about, and with Giles injured, they were indeed sitting ducks. She stood at the ready, her arms growing tired from holding her pistols in position. Maria gasped as the rustling grew closer and gripped Madelene’s arm, tightening her hand until Madelene thought that she would protest. However, instead of the men that they had envisioned, a deer walked into the clearing, none the wiser as to the panic it had caused. Maria released a shuddering breath.
“Oh, thank the good Lord. It’s just a deer!”
The grip on Madelene’s arm lessened, and her body relaxed. She could have laughed, only she didn’t feel like it. She could have sworn that they were being watched. The hairs on her neck had stood up, warning her of imminent danger. From very early on in her life, she had learnt to give heed to what Maria had termed her sixth sense. It had allowed her to escape many scrapes in her lifetime and had never let her down. Madelene didn’t drop her guard as she adjusted her clothing, still damp from her bath moments earlier. They needed to return to the lodging house; she knew that as well as she knew the black beauty spot above her lips.
“We must go, Maria. These woods do not feel safe.”
“But our garments are not dry yet, ma cherie,” she complained. “Surely we can stay a little while longer? After all, it is just a deer.”
“Maria, it would be better if we returned to the lodging house.”
Her abigail must have picked up on the urgency in her tone because she hurriedly gathered their bathing items, eyes wide with questions. Madelene led the way, her eyes darting every which way in case of an ambush. It was only when they were safely ensconced in their rented room that she allowed herself to relax. However, a niggling thought remained in her mind. If they had been watched, the spectator would have soon realised that she was not a young man, but a woman hidden in men’s clothing. For although she had kept the clothing on as she had bathed, there would be no escaping the fact that she had unbound her breasts before stepping into the stream.
*****
; Pringle couldn’t believe his luck. Following the carriage had turned out to be quite profitable.
“Well, well, well. Turns out our little boy is not a boy after all, but a woman. A mighty fine woman, at that. She’ll fetch me a pretty price that one will.”
He stroked his straggly beard, not the least concerned by the rancid smell that wafted to his nostrils. Pringle was accustomed to being filthy; in fact, he preferred it. He could not remember when he had last had a bath.
“Although perhaps a bath will do me good in days to come.”
Pringle had no notion of informing his men of his discovery for he did not wish to share the small fortune he would acquire once he presented the young woman to the Silver Wolf.
“To think that we nearly robbed them! That fine woman did me a favour, she did. Otherwise, I would have missed this grand opportunity to earn some good money. Keep me in comfort for months.”
Pringle rubbed his hands, smacking his lips together.
“Maybe I could savour the goods, meself. Make sure that all is in order.”
He squashed the thought. The Silver Wolf would not appreciate him soiling his merchandise. But how would he get to the woman without risking his neck? He had gathered that the older woman was either her mother or perhaps her maid. The relationship had been unclear, but he was able to quickly deduce that the young woman was in hiding. If anything, it made his job somewhat easier. If only that fancy carriage had not picked them up! To make matters worse, that bloody Earl had stepped out, foiling his plans of revenge. Pringle would have eventually discovered the woman beneath the men’s clothing, got rid of the older pair, and sold the woman without further obstacles.
“Can’t do anything with that Earl being around. The man would sooner shoot me with his pistol than let me walk away unscathed.”
Pringle knew the Earl well. Rich as Croesus, dirty as a pirate, and as rough as any working man. He had managed to find out that the Earl was staying at the lodging house himself, and that he had paid for the travellers’ lodgings. This had perplexed him because the Earl was not known for his generosity. Pringle had never met the man himself, and neither did he want to. Better he wait for the Earl to separate from the travellers before attacking them once more and seizing the woman.
“And this time, I will not lose. The Silver Wolf will be pleased with my merchandise.”
He doubted that the merchant had ever clapped eyes on anything as beautiful as the young woman.
“Madelene,” he said, testing the name. “Sounds French. Maybe I can hike up the price for foreign merchandise.”
He disregarded that notion. The pretty woman would fetch a good enough sum of money. Pringle slinked back further into the woods, happy that the countryside had provided good pickings after all.
“Need to keep an eye on my golden beauty. Perhaps it’s time for a bath, a shave, and some good clothes.”
Once cleaned up, Pringle would be like any other man on the street. No one would mistake him for a bandit, not even the golden-haired beauty who had stared into his eyes, challenging him.
*****
Maria waited patiently for Madelene. Her young mistress had been silent since their return from the stream, politely refusing to engage in any conversation. Every now and then, she would cross to the window, peering into the woods beyond the lodging house, and then return to her tense pacing. Her husband raised his eyebrows at her, to which she showed her palm, silently asking him to remain patient as well. Patience had never been her husband’s strong point, but he nodded his head and visibly returned to his relaxed state. Well, as comfortable as she supposed he could be when their mistress was clearly troubled. Madelene suddenly stopped her pacing and turned to them.
“We need to leave this place. I fear that we are being watched, possibly by the very same bandits we encountered on the road.”
Maria’s body immediately tensed up. “Are you certain, ma cherie? We both saw a deer back there. Is it not fear making you believe that those men are still around?”
Madelene shook her head. “You did not see the deadly intent in that man’s eyes, the one that I believe to be their leader. These men appeared to be well-seasoned bandits, Maria. I hardly believe that they would be happy with being bested by me, a mere boy in their eyes.”
Maria well understood the ego of men. What if they were to discover that her Madelene was indeed a woman? The thought frightened her. She had no doubt that they would try to take liberties with her before either ending her life or placing her in a brothel.
“Miss Madelene has a point there,” Giles cut in. “We have not gone into hiding, and it would be mighty easy to track the carriage and follow us here. After all, who would forget a carriage as grand as the Earl’s? A few simple questions could lead those men straight to our current position.”
Maria didn’t want to believe it, but they were right. Nothing was stopping those men from coming after them and finishing what they had started. It would only be a matter of time before they realised that Madelene was a woman, and not a boy. She wrung her hands.
“Then we must leave. How soon are we able to procure a carriage into London?”
“There are at least two stagecoaches outside this lodging house,” Giles said. “However, there are several people here who may be needing transport themselves. We need to find those stagecoach drivers and secure three places. We might need to pay more.”
Madelene bent down to retrieve her belongings under the bed. She rummaged inside the sheet for a moment before pulling out a velvet bag.
“I am certain that we have enough here to pay whatever exorbitant sum the driver may demand. However, much of my money is in these jewels.”
She emptied the bag onto the bed, and out fell several rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, a few small diamonds, and several gold coins. Maria touched her fingers to her forehead, shaking her head at the light manner her young mistress had displayed her jewels.
“Madelene! What do you mean by displaying your jewels? Any person can open that door and see the wealth on that bed. Do you not think that we may have our throats slit for that bounty?”
Madelene frowned. “The door is locked, Maria.”
“That is beside the point! Put those jewels away; we have no use of them at this moment. Giles and I have more than enough to cover our transport to London.”
Maria firmly believed that Cardross had been far too generous in giving his daughter such gifts. Perhaps a necklace or two, or even three with precious stones embedded in gold would suffice, but the man had thought it acceptable to make his daughter a prime target for any greedy and unlawful person. It was a blessing that Madelene was not one to flaunt her possessions as many were inclined to do, rather, she was untouched by the trappings of wealth. Maria prayed that she would remain so. Madelene left the bed with an emerald in her palm.
“It is only right that I reimburse you both for your trouble. If not for me, you would not need to use your savings.”
Madelene tried to place the emerald in her palm, but Maria refused, closing the young woman’s hand around the jewel.
“Non, ma cherie, there is no need to give us anything. It is only a pleasure for us to assist you in any way that we can. You father charged us with your safety, and we keep our promises. Besides, you are like the daughter we never had, how could we take from our own child? Is it not the parent who is to provide for their child?”
Giles nodded. “Maria is right, Miss Madelene, we could never take anything from you. What is ours is yours as well.”
Madelene looked at them with misty eyes. “What will I ever do with the both of you? No matter, there are other ways to show you my thanks – do not think that I will forget. Now, where can I find these gentlemen? The stagecoach drivers?”
A Lady for the Forsaken Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 10
